Therapist self-disclosure

Abstract: A review of the analogue literature about therapist self-disclosure suggests that nonclients generally have positive perceptions of therapist self-disclosures. A review of the naturalistic psychotherapy literature indicates that therapist self-disclosure occurs infrequently, is used more often by humanistic-experiential than psychoanalytic therapists, is most often about professional background than about intimate personal details, is used for many different reasons, is used cautiously by therapists, and is helpful in the immediate process of therapy. Effects of therapist self-disclosure on the ultimate outcome of therapy are less clear. Limitations of the research (poor and inconsistent definitions and lack of a clinically appropriate methodology for studying self-disclosure) and guidelines for therapeutic practice are presented. Therapist self-disclosure can be broadly defined as statements that reveal something personal about therapists. Although most of the literature has used this broad definition, it is important to distinguish self-disclosures (which reveal nonimmediate personal information) from immediacy statements (which reveal immediate feelings about the client or the therapeutic relationship). Therapist self-disclosure is one of the most controversial therapist interventions